This invention relates generally to hose clamps, more particularly to a clamp kit for assembling hose clamps of various sizes, and specifically to a two-piece, variable-length, worm-drive, band clamp.
Hose clamps are commonly utilized to join hoses and fittings or connectors (referred to hereinafter as fittings) together, especially within the automotive and marine industries. Hose clamps are also used for general binding up of various articles. A typical worm-drive band clamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,100.
A collection of clamp sizes is generally required in order to be prepared for various clamp situations, including emergency repair situations. Various approaches have been proposed to enable a wide variety of clamp sizes to be made from a minimum inventory of components. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,742 which discloses a two or more piece clamp having a perforated metal band which can be supplied in a reel and cut to a desired length. The ends of a section of band are held in place by a bridge member with hooks. In addition to requiring a cutting tool, assembly requires a tightening tool. However, in emergency repair situations, assembly without tools may be desirable.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,172 which discloses a multi-piece clamp in which the band is made of interlocking segments. Longer clamps require many segments. U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,665 also discloses a three-piece variable length worm driven clamp. In general, fewer than three components and simpler designs are desirable for ease of use and ease of manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,053 discloses a two-part, variable-length, worm-drive clamp having a tensioning strip with a tab that interlocks with a tab-receiving opening in a band-forming strip. Notches in the edge are used to facilitate breaking off lengths of band-forming strip. The tab-receiving openings are large relative to worm-engaging slots, requiring the relatively complicated band to have two types of openings, plus edge notches, and to be limited to relatively long unit lengths between tab-receiving openings.
It is not known or suggested to use a coil of band material having a single, perforation size uniformly distributed along its entire length and regularly marked, in conjunction with a worm-drive housing on a plate having a detent which engages one end of a section of band without recourse to a tab-receiving opening and having one or more protrusions which engage the perforations of a section of band, to form a variable-length, two-piece, hose clamp.